1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a load-bearing support and guide for one or more roller-chains of a roller-chain conveyor. It is particularly directed to a guide plate for a multi-strand, multi-chain, sharp-chain conveyor.
2. State of the Art
Conveyors are well known, and are useful to transport objects over a distance. Belt conveyors provide a continuous moving platform on which the object is placed for transport. One type of heavy-duty belt conveyor uses roller-chain as the belt material. A loop of the roller-chain is entrained around a pair of spaced apart sprocket assemblies to form a stretch of roller-chain disposed as a load carrying platform. The stretch of roller-chain typically is supported by a guide plate that provides structure arranged to support rollers of each strand of chain to carry the weight of the load, and also to resist transverse deflections of the chain strands from a substantially straight-line path between the sprocket assemblies.
One type of roller-chain conveyor is used in the timber industry to transport logs through edgers, or saw mills. Typically, such conveyors use roller-chains of the type known as sharp-chains. A sharp-chain includes structure arranged to protrude from one side of a chain strand, transverse to a roller axis, and to provide a high friction surface to resist back-sliding, or slipping, of the load. Generally, side plates of sharp-chains are provided with a triangular portion, or other high friction shape, adapted to gouge into a log, or other load.
In any case, the roller-chain of a commercially available heavy-duty conveyor typically is supported on a guide plate made from metal. The guide plate provides a foundation on which chain rollers travel, by rolling, to support the weight of the load being transported. A guide plate can also keep the chain strand running in a consistent track or path between sprocket assemblies. Original equipment guide plates typically are made from 1018 steel and are case hardened. Certain aftermarket replacement guide plates are made from 4140 steel and are through-hardened to about 50–52 Rockwell.
The roller-chain and guide plate inherently rub at a contact interface, which is exacerbated by any load supported on the conveyor, and so are oiled at regular intervals to reduce friction induced wear. Oiling is generally accomplished by applying a spray mist of oil on an automated and timed schedule to distribute oil to successive different spots of a chain loop, eventually providing complete coating of the chain length. As an example, a 5 second pulse of oil mist may be applied each 50 seconds, with complete coverage of the entire length of chain taking about 10 minutes. A substantial amount of oil can be consumed in such a process. Furthermore, the oil typically used with such conveyors is an expensive synthetic oil. One commercial operation is currently consuming approximately 2,000 gallons of oil per month to lubricate a pair of conveyors included in a sawmill. It would be an improvement to provide a guide plate operable to reduce oil consumption.
Regardless of the amount of oil applied to the conveyor, the guide plate will eventually wear and require replacement. Commercially available guide plates are commonly bolted to a foundation substrate in multiple distributed locations, using a plurality of fasteners. It can be time consuming to remove and reinstall the plurality of fasteners to replace a worn guide plate. It would be an improvement to provide a guide plate that can be installed, and replaced, in a reduced time interval.